Just watched it again and just the far reaching implications of Bran being able to interact with the past (and maybe the future? I thought the vision with the wights/white walkers could be foreshadowing the attack that happened at the end) could change a lot. Also maybe the white walkers will be able to simply pass through the wall/break it down if it is a similar magic spell/power that was protecting the cave making their aim a lot easier to achieve.

Finally got caught up with the last two episodes, kind of annoyed that the big moments in both got spoiled by seeing all sorts of stuff on Facebook but pretty good nonetheless.

I know it's annoyed some people but I didn't have anything against Dany surviving the fire, it's been shown before so it's not like it's completely unfeasible to happen again.
Euron seems pretty lacklustre so far, just doesn't seem to have the presence I was expecting from him. Can totally see Theon and Yara picking up Victarion's role and pledging their fleet to Dany in return for the Iron Islands though, probably pick up Moqorro and Jorah along the way, heal Jorah and then use that to show Daenerys how great the Red Priests are, then prompt a voyage back to Westeros to fulfil her destiny now that Tyrion seems to have got things under control in Meereen.
Loved the Bran section, pulled off really well and gave some more lore backstory which was nice. Hodor's death was sad, probably would have hit me a lot harder if I hadn't pieced together what was going to happen from all the Hold The Door memes floating around. Hope that they keep the eton mess in check with Bran's past-altering stuff, which I'd hope they will since he's not going to ignore the ramifications what with what he did to Hodor.
Also RIP Summer, the only thing I thought they got wrong with that sequence. If he was going to be killed he ought to have been given more focus given his importance to Bran, as it was it happened far too suddenly and Hodor's death completely overshadowed it.

Nintendo Ninja wrote:I do give the show a lot of stick but god damn they nailed that scene. Though it is kind of sad that grrm has obviously had such a fantastic idea planned from the start but just didn't quite get to be the one to announce it.

Tbh I can't see that transitioning as well to the books, it'd be very hard to pull it off effectively from the usual single-POV approach given stuff is effectively happening in two different perspectives in two different time periods.

Ghost wrote:and since when has "being dumb" been a sin on the internet?

So I was saying before that Qyburn might end up taking over the "For the children" scene from the end of ADWD, which is looking increasingly likely since some of the other arcs are going back towards the books (Jaime and Brienne being the case in point). But what would his motive be?
Here's the thing - what if he's actually working for the High Sparrow? By murdering Kevan, the sparrows would rid Tommen of a capable Lannister adviser. On top of that, Qyburn's creation of FrankenMountain could play into this conspiracy - knowing that Cersei would always pick the Mountain to fight for her, he could have resurrected him and placed him under his control so that he could ensure that Cersei loses her trial by combat, thereby ridding Tommen of yet another of his biggest influences. That leaves only the High Sparrow and Margaery to influence Tommen's decisions, effectively putting the church in charge of King's Landing.
The only bit where this idea falls apart is that the HS would probably object to Qyburn's methods of resurrecting the Mountain; effectively he's playing god which I doubt would sit well with a religious leader. However, we've seen this episode that he isn't completely bound to his principles; Margaery's sin was atoned for by pushing Tommen into Sparrow control, so Qyburn's would presumably also be ignored in favour of the bigger picture. As for Qyburn's motives, he could either be on the same moral page as the Sparrow (he takes good care of his little birds, after all) or he could simply be in it for ambition; in the books Pycelle is offed just before Kevan, so Qyburn could possibly stand to take over as Grand Maester (which would again stack up the Sparrow influences on Tommen).

Any thoughts? Personally I'd love to see this happen, although obviously I'm slightly biased.

Ghost wrote:and since when has "being dumb" been a sin on the internet?

Personally i've always been inclined to believe that the High Sparrow will summon the Hound from the quiet isle to defeat Gregor in single combat. Nobody ever stays dead unless another character sees it with their own eyes and then only if there's no red priests around. Either that or Lancel will fight Gregor and somehow expose Ser Robert Strong for what he is which would somehow lead to a Cersei forfeit.

I'm not sure how I'd feel about the Hound coming back, it could be done right but more likely it'll just end up as rampant fanservice. On top of that the whole theory is based on the Elder Brother talking metaphorically about Sandor leaving his warrior life behind for a more peaceful one, so that might put the kaibosh on him going back to fight the Mountain. Guess Brienne going to Riverrun could provide the setup for it though if she goes via the Quiet Isle, but that might be a problem given that TV Hound was wounded by Brienne instead of the Tickler so he's not going to react well if she turns up unexpectedly.

Ghost wrote:and since when has "being dumb" been a sin on the internet?

I'm not sure how I'd feel about the Hound coming back, it could be done right but more likely it'll just end up as rampant fanservice. On top of that the whole theory is based on the Elder Brother talking metaphorically about Sandor leaving his warrior life behind for a more peaceful one, so that might put the kaibosh on him going back to fight the Mountain. Guess Brienne going to Riverrun could provide the setup for it though if she goes via the Quiet Isle, but that might be a problem given that TV Hound was wounded by Brienne instead of the Tickler so he's not going to react well if she turns up unexpectedly.

I'm pretty sure the theory revolves around a couple of mentions of a new acolyte serving dinner who's described as being a lot bigger than any of the others and limping heavily. As well as a huge guy on the quiet isle who was digging graves who the Elder Brother references as a new acolyte on both occasions. It's been a while since I read that scene but I seem to remember that that was the gist of it.

Yeah, that's the same thing I was referring to, there's a bit where the Elder is talking about being there when the Hound died. The speculation is that he's not outright lying about it, just talking metaphorically and giving the Hound a chance in his new life as the big gravedigger.

Ghost wrote:and since when has "being dumb" been a sin on the internet?

I've always thought the Clegane-bowl theories gained more ground (maybe made a little more sense as well?) when you think about what decent fighters there are/who we've heard about who could potentially beat Gregor in a trial by combat, with Sandor probably standing the best chance to win for the faith.

I thought it was a good episode all in all, great to see Benjen back. I also wonder if the brotherhood without banners will take the place of Lady Stoneheart now that Jamie and Brienne are both heading to the riverlands.

There's also the fact that it sounds like the Brotherhood are targeting Freys specifically instead of being neutral like they're supposed to.
I've mentioned it elsewhere already but I'd love it if they've used the furore over whether Jon was alive or dead to distract everyone while they sneaked in a Lady Stoneheart scene for the end of Jaime/Brienne's arc this season.

Ghost wrote:and since when has "being dumb" been a sin on the internet?

Well, I think it's pretty obvious that the woman Arya saved will now return the favour. Still, quite disappointed by the fact that Arya, after all her training, and after acting like a boss in front of that sailor, got upended so easily by the Waif. It's as if all the training and the harship she has been through has all been for naught. I was hoping she'd become some kiler assassin, maybe I'll be proven wrong. Also, gooseberry fool yeah Sandor Clegane.